The Tang Dynasty’s class stratification had reached an outrageous level of severity. When it came to receiving beatings with the board, Li Chengqian lay sprawled on a soft bed. A kind-hearted eunuch had even placed a cushion on the Crown Prince’s buttocks—a tiger skin cushion a full inch thick. The bamboo board, over a foot long, was wrapped in silk. When it struck the tiger skin, it made a hollow thumping sound. Li Chengqian was practically falling asleep during the beating. No wonder this fellow showed not the slightest fear of being beaten with the board.

Yun Ye lay sprawled on a bamboo bed with his outer robe stripped off. The two-foot-long bamboo rod was also wrapped in silk, but clearly not as thickly as Li Chengqian’s. There was nothing at all cushioning his buttocks. With one strike, Yun Ye let out a muffled grunt. His buttocks seemed no longer his own. The burning pain spread like a spider’s web. The eunuch doing the beating even said: “Marquis Yun, please endure it. The first few strikes are somewhat difficult to bear, but later it’ll go numb and you won’t feel it.”

Yun Ye desperately wanted to curse out loud. What business of his were those damned miners and farmers? He’d been full and had nothing better to do than meddle in other people’s affairs. Now, with the bamboo rod striking his buttocks one blow after another, he finally understood what pain that pierced to the bone marrow meant.

First came the sweat, followed immediately by snot, and finally tears. There even seemed to be a precursor to wetting his pants. How humiliating! The entire process of being beaten with the board was actually Yun Ye’s struggle against his own bladder. The pain had already become secondary—ensuring he didn’t disgrace himself was the top priority.

Li Chengqian on the side was gritting his teeth and sucking in cool air, his face twitching. Only after twenty strikes were completed did he relax. Yun Ye’s face was beyond recognition, with tears and snot flowing freely. He swore it wasn’t that he couldn’t endure pain—this was a natural reaction, a choice his nerves made on their own.

“My lord, you should still get up and move around. Once you disperse the pooled blood it’ll be fine. This humble one used a light hand—I guarantee it won’t hinder your walking.” The eunuch administering the punishment was still urging Yun Ye from the side to get up.

“Get up your sister! My ass has turned into streaky pork and you want me to move? Move your sister! Ow, my buttocks!” Yun Ye shouted incoherently while climbing up. The eunuch’s words made sense, but even though they made sense, Yun Ye still cursed him out.

After climbing up, he swayed unsteadily toward the exit. Li Chengqian asked: “Ye Zi, you can just walk here. Where else are you going?”

“I need to go to the latrine. Is that any of your business?” Yun Ye said without turning his head, and went to the latrine. After finishing urinating with difficulty, he heard a pig-slaughtering sound coming from that direction, which nearly caused Yun Ye to piss in his pants.

When the pain eased slightly, he made his way back step by agonizing step to the beating location, only to discover poor Old He sprawled on a bench nearly ready to depart to the Western Paradise. He was biting a wooden stick in his mouth, his plump large buttocks exposed in broad daylight. The implement beating him had been changed to water-and-fire staffs. Two eunuchs were gritting their teeth and beating with deadly force. Empress Mother had said to beat him severely—as long as no life was lost, it didn’t matter.

Yun Ye glared viciously at the two eunuchs administering the punishment and crouched down with difficulty to feel Old He’s carotid artery on the side of his neck. Fortunately, it was beating very strongly—his life wasn’t in danger.

The two eunuchs felt guilty under Yun Ye’s gaze, but probably felt that since they were acting under the Empress’s orders, they needn’t fear Yun Ye, and puffed out their chests again. Old He finally caught his breath and began wailing with his throat open.

Hearing him cry out, Yun Ye finally relaxed. This time Old He had been implicated by him and beaten unjustly. He himself deserved it—without considering anything, he’d brought out things that didn’t fit this era. This beating could serve as venting for those wronged souls.

When Old He cried, Yun Ye couldn’t help but shed tears. This damned world was simply not a world suitable for good people to survive in. Every time he wanted to do something good, he’d get bruised all over. Coming to Chang’an once meant bad luck once. Next time, even if they came with an eight-bearer palanquin to invite him, he absolutely wouldn’t step foot in Chang’an.

Li Chengqian was called away by the Emperor, leaving only two unfortunate wretches crying in the empty courtyard. Old He’s buttocks were already a bloody mess. Yun Ye pulled down his pants—in a moment they’d be stuck with blood stains, and when treating the wounds they’d have to be peeled open, which would be terrible.

When he came, he’d been prepared early on. He pulled out white medicinal powder configured by Sun Simiao from his pouch. The effect wasn’t as good as before. According to Old Sun, it was missing one important medicinal ingredient—notoginseng. He was preparing to travel far to Nanzhao, planning to go to Wenshan as Yun Ye had mentioned to search for it. If he could find it, he planned to introduce and cultivate it.

Old He was very fat. Yun Ye expended great effort to help him onto the bamboo bed. The soft couch had long been taken away. He evenly sprinkled the medicinal powder on Old He’s buttocks and prepared to have Old He sprinkle some on his own buttocks too, only to discover there wasn’t a bit left. This bastard’s buttocks were bigger than anyone else’s. What Sun Simiao had given was enough for three people.

Old He lay alone on the bamboo bed and fell asleep. He’d expended too much physical energy just now. As soon as the pain on his buttocks eased, he entered dormancy. Outside the door was a large stone block, originally used to support pillars. Now the pillar had gone who knows where, leaving only a stone block standing there. Supporting himself against the wall, he came up to it and sprawled on top—it seemed much more comfortable.

In his daze, someone seemed to be untying his pants. This was outrageous! He was just about to curse when he turned his head and discovered it was Li Anlan. They hadn’t seen each other for over two months. She’d undergone great changes—her hair had also been changed to a married woman’s style. She wore a black gauze garment that set off her complexion even more pale. Untying Yun Ye’s pants, she seemed not the least bit embarrassed. Seeing it was her, Yun Ye lay back down again.

Her fingers were very cool, and she applied the medicinal powder meticulously. From that one glance just now, Yun Ye knew Li Anlan was already with child. From her increasingly prominent chest and increasingly moist skin, one could tell—this was what Sun Simiao had taught him.

After she finished applying the powder, blowing cool air wanting the fine cellular fluid seeping from his buttocks to dry quickly, at this moment Yun Ye suddenly asked her: “What do you plan to do with the child?” This question was asked with extreme bluntness.

“This is my child. Of course I’ll give birth to him. When I’m old, I’ll at least have someone to wear mourning for me. I refuse to become a wandering ghost. Why does Marquis Yun ask about my child?”

Li Anlan wasn’t bothered, cocking her head and looking at him strangely, as if this child truly had not the slightest relation to Yun Ye.

“A child of the Yun family cannot suffer grievances. You must understand this point. I also won’t let him suffer grievances. This is my eldest son. If you dare use him as a puppet or as a bargaining chip, I’ll tear you to shreds.”

Other matters could be discussed, but once it involved the child, Yun Ye wouldn’t yield half a step. He stared fixedly at Li Anlan waiting for her answer.

“This is also my child, also my eldest son. Of course I’ll cultivate him into a capable person. Whether male or female, he will be the king of that eight-hundred-li territory. I’m a woman with a bitter fate. In this lifetime I’ll only have one man, one child. Yun Ye, if you dare snatch him from my arms, I’ll fight you to the death.”

Li Anlan gently caressed her belly with infinite tenderness, yet her words were spoken with firm resolution, making people unable to underestimate her determination.

Yun Ye nodded and said nothing more. There was truly no reason to drag the child into the sins created by adults. As long as he could grow up healthy, Yun Ye didn’t care whether he took the surname Yun or Li.

Seeing Yun Ye’s tacit consent, the heart Li Anlan had hung anxiously for two months finally settled. With Yun Ye’s unpredictable methods, she didn’t doubt for a moment that he could seize the child from her side. Now having received a promise, she finally put down this matter weighing on her mind, and her face began to show a smile.

“Hey, can your wife not bear children? It’s been so long and there’s been no happy news. You’re the only sole sprout of the Yun family. If you marry a hen that can’t lay eggs, your old grandmother will be so angry she’ll jump in the river.”

After speaking, she even specially ran in front of Yun Ye and thrust out her still-flat belly.

“My child is truly blessed. Not only can he inherit his mother’s eight-hundred-li fief, he can also inherit the vast family fortune his heartless father worked hard his entire life to establish. Haha, thinking of this, this mother’s anger is completely vented.”

“With your intelligence, you still talk about eight-hundred-li fief? Having eight li of land to settle would be good enough. Do you know what kind of place Lingnan is? Even your father doesn’t dare take Feng Ang’s power lightly. Mount Shangyang still has six thousand armored soldiers garrisoned there to this day, alert day and night, not daring the slightest relaxation. What do you have? At most you’ll bring Lingdang, one carriage, a dozen guards. You still talk about eight hundred li? Are military and state affairs something a woman like you can handle?”

Li Anlan immediately lost her previous haughty appearance. She took a round fan and fanned Yun Ye’s buttocks. She was very clear—without Yun Ye’s help, going far away to Lingnan, if she could survive two years that would count as having a great fate.

“Rest assured, I’ve arranged everything. Even if I don’t care about your life or death, I still have to think about my son’s safety. Hmph, Feng Ang—if you properly do as promised, everyone will be fine. If you have thoughts you shouldn’t have, I’ll make your life worse than death. Is Lingnan so far away that I have no way to deal with you?”

Previously Li Anlan most liked to hear Yun Ye talk big. Now Yun Ye was again displaying that domineering air. This temperament greatly intoxicated her. If Yun Ye had shown even a little ambition at that time, Li Anlan wouldn’t have abandoned Yun Ye to seek another.

“Listen carefully. I’ve arranged for Hong Cheng to be your personal guard captain. He’s currently in disfavor, demoted and stripped of his rank by His Majesty. Although unfortunate, he’s still His Majesty’s trusted confidant. He’s no slouch in battle either. With him leading three thousand battle-hardened veterans, presumably your safety won’t be an issue. Remember, don’t provoke Feng Ang. The western side of Lingnan is Feng Ang’s territory—don’t covet it in the slightest. He can only become your ally, not your enemy. Once he becomes your enemy, all your affairs in Lingnan will be finished.”

“You can develop toward the southernmost area. There’s the sea there, and rivers—both are the lifeline of your development. If possible, you must maintain control of the Meiling Ancient Road. Keeping it unobstructed is your first priority. I’ve prepared lumber for you at Hangou Canal, enough for you to build over a dozen large ships. Those three thousand veterans are mostly familiar with water. I’ve also found boatmen for you. I’m still preparing shipbuilders for you. Too few people will go in the early stage. The Cao father and son introduced by Gongshu Mu haven’t arrived yet—they’re the experts in building ocean-going vessels.”

“Remember, absolutely don’t be willful. Treat these people well. At least don’t show your imperial family face. In the future, even if things go badly, with them around, your success rate in escaping will greatly increase. When you leave I’ll still have a plan for you. If you don’t throw little tantrums, I guarantee within ten years you’ll become the most powerful person in Lingnan.”

Li Anlan listened to Yun Ye finish speaking in a daze, then suddenly bit down hard on Yun Ye’s buttocks.